


you poured my heart out and i don't mind bleeding

by ohprongs



Series: malec single parent aus [6]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU, M/M, Malec AU, Single Parent AU, dad jokes, discussion of sex ed, domestic family malec bc is there really anything better in this godawful world?, gender socialisation, human!AU, say it with me: max is a lightwood and rafael is a bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-17 06:33:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8133844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohprongs/pseuds/ohprongs
Summary: or, the 'we're both single parents with 8 year olds and have been called into their principal's office because they teamed up and sold condoms as balloons to their classmates' au





	

**Author's Note:**

> im ill n procrastinating so i wrote this bundle of fluff. continuation of/same universe as part 5.
> 
> title from _lonely boy_ by the black keys

Alec's not really sure what he and Magnus are - _boyfriends_ sounds a bit high school for two approaching thirty-somethings, and _partners_ is way too formal - but they're definitely _something_ to each other. Something important. 

Whatever it is, they've been doing it for almost half a year. Being with Magnus and Rafael and Max makes Alec practically _ache_ with happiness; it's so warm and comfortable and homely he could just sink into it all and never leave. 

They've talked about it, too - making a home together. But all this is still quite new. At six months, it's being nurtured, and Alec hopes more than anything that it will blossom into something even more amazing than it already is, but if anything were to go wrong...Max and Rafael have to be the first priority, both Magnus and Alec are aware of that. For now, they're content to have spare clothes and toothbrushes for everyone in each other's houses. Storybooks, toys, plushies - everything is slowly migrating to a new place or meandering back to its original home in a constant cycle. The boys treat it like a regular sleepover with one of their best friends, and they love it. 

They’re sitting at the breakfast table in Magnus and Rafael’s loft now, the gurgle of the coffee machine and the hubbub of morning traffic playing around them. Alec watches them: Max laughing at something Rafael said, while Magnus finishes cutting their toast into triangles. Alec’s chest is tight and his throat constricts and he feels a bit like crying, but…good crying. 

There were times when he was younger when he never thought he’d get this - a home, a _family_ , with another man - and now he _has_ it, and he doesn’t ever want to let it go.

Magnus flicks his eyes to Alec’s, asking if he can pass the cream. It takes a moment for the question to register, because Alec is entranced by Magnus’ beauty in the morning. His dark hair is soft and unstyled, but still tinted with gold at the tips. It’s practically screaming out for Alec to run his hands through, but he manages to restrain himself. He can’t, however, stop himself kissing Magnus as he hands the cream over. 

“Ew, stop smooching,” Rafael protests. 

Magnus just laughs brightly and musses Rafael’s hair across the table. Then Max reaches over to take a sip of his orange juice and accidentally upends his plate of toast. The slices plop down in his lap and he looks at them for a minute before his eyes land on Alec. 

“Oops,” he says pitifully. “I’m all toasty.”

“Hey, All Toasty,” Alec says. “I’m Daddy.”

There’s a moment of silence before Magnus lets out a joyful splutter of laughter. Honestly, Magnus is usually the punny one in the relationship - his cat is called _Chairman Meow_ \- but his reaction is more than enough to make Alec endeavour to tell Dad Jokes as much as possible from now on.

Max blinks twice before he seems to realise that Alec isn’t cross, and he smiles toothily. 

“That joke wasn’t very funny, Alec,” Rafael says, one eye narrowed at Alec. Magnus begins to say Rafael’s name when Rafael shrugs. “I’m _juice_ -d saying.” 

A dimpled smile appears on his pudgy cheeks, even though it seems like he’s holding it back. Rafael looks around the table expectantly. “Like ‘just saying’! ‘Juiced saying’, because of the orange juice!” 

A beat passes and Rafael’s face falls slightly, then he seems to notice that the rest of them are shaking with silent laughter. Their giggles ring out over the sounds of the morning, and, yeah. Alec doesn’t think it couldn’t get more perfect.

∞

Alec is in the middle of a meeting with Raj about their latest divorce case when a knock sounds on the door.

“Come in,” Alec calls, glancing away from his notes to look at the interloper. It’s one of Lightwood & Lightwood’s secretaries, looking wholly apologetic. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” he begins, “but there’s been a call from the school. It’s Max.”

Alec bolts up, stomach clenching painfully. “What’s happened?” he asks, already packing up his papers in a flurry.

“No, no - he’s fine. He’s been called to the Principal.”

Alec allows himself to relax a little. “Oh,” he breathes out, running a hand through his hair.

Raj nods down at their notes. “I’ll finish here, if you want to go,” he offers. 

Alec sends him a grateful smile. “Did the school say what the problem was?” he asks the secretary.

He shoots Raj a furtive glance, which Alec catches and bristles at. 

“Whatever it is, you can say it in front of Raj,” Alec says pointedly.

“Of course.” The secretary clears his throat. “Something about giving out condoms to his classmates as balloons.”

Raj hides his chuckle behind a folder. 

Alec rubs at his temples. “Oh, Christ.”

∞

Rafael appears in Alec’s line of sight before Max. Their heads are bowed as they giggle through a secret conversation, neither of them looking particularly remorseful. 

“Hey, boys,” Alec says, sitting next to Max. He tries to look cross, but mostly he’s just confused about how this whole thing happened.

“Dad’s on his way,” Rafael tells him. “We learnt how to do sudoku today.”

Alec raises an eyebrow. “You can help me do them in the morning paper, then,” he says. “Why are we outside the Principal’s office?”

“‘Cause we got sent there and you had to come too,” Max tells him plainly, and Alec has to try really hard not to smile.

Magnus arrives five minutes later, looking stressed but windsweptly divine. He nods at the kids. 

“Day from hell,” he says to Alec without preamble, and, “could have done without this.”

His fingers brush Alec’s wrist in the merest hint of intimacy, before he takes a seat on the other side of Rafael. They don’t have to wait long before they’re called into the office.

Principal Herondale eyes them all with barely disguised distain as she gestures for them to sit down.

"Max, Rafael," Principal Herondale says, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Mr Lightwood, Mr Bane." She gives Max and Rafael a hard look. "I had rather hoped that you boys becoming friends would put an end to these visits, but obviously I was wrong."  She glances her desk, where the evidence of Rafael and Max’s crime lays. "Tell me, what were you trying to achieve by giving out these...balloons?"

“Oh,” Rafael says, “Principal Herondale, they’re called ‘condoms’." 

∞

See, the thing is, Magnus is very open. About almost everything. As a consequence, Rafael is probably one of the most knowledgable eight year olds Alec's ever met. Magnus has explained to Rafael that there's a whole range of sexualities, that gender isn't a binary, that it's okay and natural to have questions about sex, and Magnus always takes the time to thoughtfully - while age appropriately - answer any questions Rafael asks, about anything. 

Alec practically shudders when he thinks back to the cringe-inducing and painfully heterosexual sex ed he received. And - oh, God, his father's hideously awkward 'what to do if you ever get a girl pregnant' car ride conversation. So Alec's glad that Rafael - and now Max - are way more informed than he ever was, that they're growing up in an environment where nothing is assumed. 

The first time Max had turned up to play at Magnus' and Rafael had been wearing a dress, Max's internal struggle between laughter and confusion had been written across his face plain to see. And, with his forehead all crinkly, he said: "Raf, why are you wearing girls clothes?"

"They're just clothes," Rafael told him, matching Max's frown. "Girls can wear trousers and boys can wear dresses."

Alec had paused at that. Because he had stuff to unlearn too, and why the hell shouldn't boys wear dresses?

He caught Magnus watching Max with a slightly wary expression, like he wasn't sure whether Max was going to make fun of Rafael. Max opened and closed his mouth a couple of times but didn't say anything more. 

It clearly stayed on his mind, though, because over dinner, he said, "My favourite colour is blue, but even though I'm a boy, can pink be my second favourite colour?" 

Magnus had just smiled, clearly pleased. "Of course, Max. Anyone can like any colour at all."

Alec's been reading up on some of this stuff now, and Magnus and Izzy are both delighted that now they can have discussions about it. But, somehow, Alec doesn't think Principal Herondale is quite so open-minded - not least because Magnus has told Alec about some of the thinly-veiled remarks she made whenever he was in with Rafael that she never threw Alec's way, and it doesn't take a genius to work out why _that_ is. Also going against the probability of her being totally accepting is the fact that she knows Maryse and Robert Lightwood socially, and anyone who swans around in the same circles as Alec's parents is almost certainly going to be a bigot. 

So, yeah. Sitting through the reaction of a racist, likely homophobic, woman to an explanation of why Rafael and Max found condoms at home isn't especially high on Alec's to do list. 

∞

In the silence that falls following his interjection, Rafael clearly decides that his Principal has that expression on her face because she doesn't know what condoms are. 

"A person with a penis wears one when they have sex," Rafael tells her helpfully. "They're to help you keep safe from getting ill and to stop a baby from being made." 

Magnus looks torn between bursting with pride and laughing so hard he cries, and Alec just wishes he could disappear into a hole in the ground. He does _not_ have the skills in his social repertoire to deal with this.

"I'm aware of that, Rafael," Principal Herondale says. She purses her lips. "My original question still stands: what were you hoping to achieve by giving these...items to your classmates?"

Max and Rafael share a look. 

"We wanted to have a party 'cause it's nearly Easter," Max begins, "so we've been trying to find things that go."

"Daddy always says it's important to have a theme for a party," Rafael adds. Principal Herondale raises an eyebrow at Magnus, who just looks back at her levelly. 

"And these ones said ‘chocolate’ on the side of the box," Max says with a shrug. Magnus tries and fails to disguise his laughter as a cough. "So we gave them out to the people we've invited to the party because we ran out of proper balloons and these worked close enough."

Principal Herondale closes her eyes briefly. “In future, refrain from doing so, and stick to traditional paper invites.” She nods towards her door. “Boys, you may go back to class.”

Alec shares a glance with Magnus.

“I won’t keep you long,” she says to Alec and Magnus once the boys have left, “but I do want to inform you that I am concerned about the level of knowledge Rafael has regarding this topic. I don't think it's appropriate for a third-grader.”

"Of course it is," Magnus says immediately, as if he’s been expecting her to question him. "They're young, sure, but it's never too early to teach about the importance of consent or respecting people's boundaries. Kids are naturally curious about love and sex and relationships, so instead of giving Rafael some nonsense answer about 'special cuddles' or - worse - not telling him anything at all, I give him information in a way he can understand." 

"Of course teaching about consent is important," Principal Herondale says, "but why does any of this -" she gestures to the condoms on her desk "- have to come into it?"

"Like Rafael said, it's about staying safe," Magnus says, with a nonchalant shrug. "Surely one of the most important duties of a parent is to make sure their children are safe?"

Principal Herondale's jaw clenches. "Yes, but -"

"I would rather my eight-year-old son knows what a condom is and what it's for than for my eighteen-year-old son to graduate high school with all of his knowledge coming from misogynistic porn because he’s only been told about abstinence,” Magnus says, a bored air affecting his entire posture. “Is that all, or would you like to criticise any of my other parenting decisions?”

Principal Herondale looks unblinkingly at him for a long time, then waves her hand. “That’s all,” she says to him. Her eyes flick to Alec. “I dread to think what your parents would make of all this, you know,” she says to him.

Alec lifts his eyebrows. “I don’t really care about their opinion, actually, ” he says. “And, for the record, I fully support Magnus’ choice to be so open with Rafael. I know what it’s like to grow up in an ignorant house.” He glances at Magnus, who’s giving him a small smile, then back to Principal Herondale. “Excuse us.”

∞

Magnus groans dramatically and flops against Alec the moment they’re out in the school parking lot. He’s warm and sturdy against Alec’s chest, and Alec wraps his arms around him. He feels Magnus exhale against his neck.

“You okay?” Alec asks, rubbing his thumbs in soothing circles against Magnus’ hips.

“Yeah,” Magnus says half-heartedly, and then he lets out a small smile on seeing the disbelieving look Alec is giving him. “No. I’ve had the worst morning at work, and I really could have done without that bigoted old woman questioning how I live my life and look after my son.”

Alec peppers kisses along Magnus’ hairline. “I’m sorry,” he says.

Magnus pulls back to look at him. “Thank you, darling.” He gives Alec a quick kiss and puts his palm to Alec’s cheek. “I’ve got to get back. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Hey,” Alec murmurs, “I’ll get the boys from school this afternoon and take them to mine. When you finish work, come over.”

Magnus arches an eyebrow. “Will chocolate-flavour condoms be involved?”

Alec laughs into Magnus’ shoulder. “Oh, God,” he mutters, still smiling. “I’ll cook and run you a bath. Just -” he tilts Magnus’ head with one finger under his jaw “- let me look after you.”

Magnus’ eyes soften and he smiles at Alec. “Well, if you put it like that…”

He leans in closer and kisses Alec again. Alec sighs and tightens an arm around Magnus’ waist, bringing them flush against each other, and then he remembers where they are.

“Maybe we shouldn’t make out in a school parking lot,” he mumbles against Magnus’ jaw. 

“We could always go behind the bleachers,” Magnus offers, lips curving upwards, and Alec is, like, ninety percent sure he’s joking.

∞

When Magnus finally lets himself into Alec's house (they have _keys_ to each other's places, and  _use_ them, and it's so familiar and amazing and wow, when did that gooey feeling in Alec's chest start?) the boys are already bundled up in their PJs, breath minty fresh from toothpaste and small hands clutching stuffed animals. Rafael holds Toulouse, the toy kitty that they all pretend is Chairman Meow's child, and Max rubs his cheek against Jace the gorilla, who he named on a day when he was particularly unimpressed with his uncle. 

Alec is about to chase them off to bed when Magnus appears in the doorway.

"Dad!" Rafael runs towards Magnus with a surprising display of energy considering how close he was to falling asleep in Alec's lap two minutes ago, and Magnus whirls him around in the air. 

He kisses Rafael's dark brown hair. "Have you been good?" he asks, eyes flickering to Alec.

Rafael nods solemnly. "I haven't even been called to the Principal again," he says, and Magnus raises an eyebrow.

"Well, that's got to be a record then - eight hours?"

The quip somewhat goes over Rafael's head and Alec stifles a laugh behind his hand. 

"Come on, then," Magnus says. "Bedtime?"

Alec insists on putting them to bed while Magnus puts his feet up, and once he's pulled Max's bedroom door to, he wanders through to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine.

"I love you," Magnus says, when Alec walks through into the living room, but from the direction of his gaze it seems like he's saying it to the wine rather than Alec. 

Alec hands a glass to Magnus and then pours him some wine. Magnus watches Alec repeat the action for himself, then tucks his feet under Alec's legs once he's sat down on the couch.

"Rough day?" Alec asks, rubbing small circles on Magnus' calf. 

"Had too many of them, recently," Magnus says tiredly. He takes a long drink and then closes his eyes, exhaling. "But I'm leaving that for now. There are much more important things for me to be doing than worrying about work."

Alec quirks an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Magnus smiles at him, then very deliberately licks his lips. Alec's eyes trace the movement and he knows he's been caught when a smirk starts tugging at the corner of Magnus' mouth. 

"Come here," Magnus says. 

Alec places his wine glass on the table. "I love you, too," he says, before he leans over to Magnus and kisses him, and everything about the moment is just right.

**Author's Note:**

> tru storyTM: i named my toy gorilla after my cousin when i was annoyed at her
> 
> anyway im on [tumblr](lesbianclaryfairchilds.tumblr.com)!<3


End file.
